little bird
by LittlelazyCat
Summary: Long after both L and  Light Yagami, aka Kira, were dead, L's headquarters still remained. Security was as tight as ever, and all was quiet... until a mysterious girl breaks in and steals some very important data. After the series, possible Near x OC.
1. Chapter 1

Long after both L and Kira, otherwise known as Light Yagami, were dead, L's headquarters still remained. Security was as tight as ever, and all was quiet except for the occasional call from Mogi needing help on a case.

Aizawa was speaking with the current L, Near, discussing suspects for a serial killer case, where each victim had been strangled to death and the body found in a public place.

Motsuda had been stuck with security, staring off into space while screens showed a constant feed of hallways, rooms, and stairs.

All was quiet, and incredibly boring.

Suddenly, the peace was interrupted by a shrill alarm. Motsuda snapped back into focus, and then swore under his breath.

"What is it?" Motsuda gave a small jump; he hadn't heard Aizawa approach, footsteps masked by the blaring alarm.

"Bird got in," he replied, pointing to the hallway that now covered all the screens, where a small songbird was fluttering. "Tripped the alarm. How'd it even get in here?" he shook his head, then stood. "I'll go take care of it."

She smiled with satisfaction when she heard the blare of the alarm. She shimmied forward on her stomach until she reached the grate. Below her, she could see one of the men, Motsuda, attempting to catch her little gift. She shoved the small bag of which she had kept the bird behind her, its job fulfilled.

She had learned a long time ago that the best way to not get caught was to trip the alarm.

She turned a right, and before her lay a fork in the labyrinth that was the air ducts. On the left, a yellow sticky note was stuck to the metal, which she peeled off as she went past.

She had to admit, the security in this place was top-notch. They had even placed cameras in some parts of the ducts, and there were branches that led to nowhere. There was also the fact that these ducts were so small that anyone bigger than her would be immediately stuck.

But after a week of crawling around like a rat, she had figured out her route. The sticky notes were her guide, and all cameras in the way had been blinded with a piece of gum.

Within five minutes she was at her next stop. Carefully she removed the miniscule screws holding the grate in place, and released another bird. Moments later, Aizawa was attempting to steer it out the window.

Her grin seemed to glow in the darkness.

She arrived shortly later to the room that the two men had left, and landed gracefully on the tile with barely a sound. The harsh glow of the artificial lights made her brown hair look especially dark and her green eyes oddly bright.

Taking the seat that Aizawa had recently abandoned in front of the main computer, she put the place on lockdown. Try as they might, the two deceived cops couldn't budge the doors open.

Smiling at their antics, she placed a hard drive into the computer. After a few clicks of the keyboard, reciting a password she had memorized, the screen flashed a notice:

_Download successful. Are you sure you want to delete Main PC's data?_

"Yep." She muttered under her breath, as the screen flashed with countless files of evidence, data, and notes was destroyed.

She ejected her hard drive and slipped it into her pocket. After she grabbed the cellphone Aizawa had left, labeled 'L' she pushed off the desk, shooting her chair across the tile towards the multiple screens showing every corner of L's skyscraper, including the room she was in. After another few condemning typing of the keyboard and a slight moment of hesitation, she deleted all that the cameras had recorded for the past hour and for the next hour. Better to be safe than sorry.

Resting her converse-toting feet on the metal table top, she flipped the phone open. While the rings rang out, she rummaged in her small pack for something.

The phone was picked up on the third ring. After a slight pause, a modified, robotic-sounding voice spoke. "This is L."

The girl promptly answered with her voice as cocky and pleased as it can sound when you're speaking with a French accent. "Bonjour, Nate." Still blindly searching for the item in her bag, she grinned. "Nice security they got here. Took me a week to break in."

There was a long pause, of which the girl could hear muffled voices in the background. No doubt they were running voice recognition, tracing her signal. She wouldn't even be surprised if they were trying to hack back into security.

Nate, otherwise known as Near or L, answered, as unemotional as ever. "Who, may I ask are you?" no doubt he was stalling.

You could almost hear the pout in her voice. "You law-enforcing types are all the same. Tracing signals, tearing after suspects… it's so predictable. I thought you'd present more of a challenge. But if you must know, I'm just a little bird. And since I know what you're going to say next, I just wanted to tease the hawks." She seemed to have finally found what she was looking for, because she flung her pack over her shoulder and stood. She left one final gift on the table, and then rolled the chair through the archway of the metal detector, setting off the buzzer.

"Sorry, but I've got to go." With that, she hung up, abandoned the phone, and set free the security measures. With a final glimpse of the cameras, now showing two very pissed police officers heading her way with guns at hand, she jumped back up into the welcoming secluded darkness of the air ducts.

Motsuda and Aizawa had already checked the security cameras and computer, absorbing the reality that they had no solid evidence and that they had no suspect. Then the silence was broken for the second time as the phone by Aizawa's feet rang.

"Do you have video?"

"No."

"Did she tamper with anything?"

"All the data's deleted from the main computer- wait, how did you know it was a girl?"

"She spoke to me on the phone, and she knew who I was."

"How so?"

"… She called me Nate. Did she leave anything?"

"The metal detector went off…" Aizawa allowed his eyes to wander around the room. "She left a… statue of a bird."

"Run fingerprints. Try to track her down."

She had waited until they had left, then left the air ducts and walked out the front door. Blending with the crowds, she flipped open her cell phone.

_Finished chess tourn, won o course :)_

_Knew u wud! When will u b back?_

_Ill c u 2morrow. Leg still hurts but ill b fine._

_K, c u l8r!_

She wrinkled her nose. She hated texting, how everything was spelt wrong and abbreviated. But if anyone was reading her messages, she needed to look like your somewhat average sixteen year-old.

10 minutes later she arrived at the hotel she had been staying at, and after a quick change into jeans and a sweatshirt, she gave a sigh.

"I hate this part…" with one smooth motion she dislocated her ankle. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she just as swiftly relocated it, and then wrapped it in a brace. After retrieving a pair of crutches from the bathroom and donning a pair of glasses, she left.

**This must be the longest first chapter I have ever written…**

**Anyway, what's Near gonna do? Do you think our 'Little Bird' will be caught?**

**You should tell the review button.**


	2. Chapter 2

It had taken her very little effort to hack into the airport's computers, and soon she was flying first class under the name 'Lillian Jane Gregory', an alias she had created. Her file, if anyone would look it up, was vague but believable; she was the daughter of a rich businessman who excelled at chess. She loved to travel the world. Lillian Jane rode horses, and had hurt her ankle during a fall. She was laid back and polite.

Quite opposite of the girl pretending to be her. She was cocky, sarcastic, and rude, and was in no way, shape or form a spoiled little 'daddy's girl'. In technical terms, she didn't even exist; she was never named by her parents, and had grown up on the street.

_Would my parents have named me something as ridiculous as Lillian? Or something as common as Jane?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a flight attendant. "Ms. Gregory?" She immediately gave her a warm nod. "There's a call for you."

She took the cordless with a small 'thank you' before speaking in a perfectly average English accent. "Hello, this is Lillian Gregory."

"Hello, Miss Gregory. I am Nathaniel Ford." She knew immediately something was wrong. His accent was ever so slightly Japanese, and his name being Nathaniel could not be a coincidence with Nate. "There is a chess tournament going to be held in Winchester, England, and I would like to invite you to participate."

"Of course! I would be honored. When is it?" She asked with clear excitement, though she rolled her eyes.

"Tomorrow at noon." Okay, now it was official. This was a trap, a setup.

"Wow, such a short notice. Well, lucky for you I'm going to England to visit my aunt."

"I look forward to seeing you." The man on the other end said warmly before hanging up. Wordlessly she handed the phone back to the flight attendant.

Several hours and a dress change later, Miss Lillian Jane Gregory arrived at the specified building of Mr. Ford's 'chess tournament.' Inside it indeed looked like a chess tournament, and standing next to a chessboard was a boy her age, dressed in white pajamas with pure white hair. Standing next to him was a dark haired middle aged man, who she knew immediately was an agent of some sort. Upon seeing her, he smiled and shook her hand.

"Hello, Miss Gregory. I am Mr. Ford."

The brunette grinned. "It is nice to meet you in person."

"And this," he gestured at the white albino, "Is Alex White, your competitor for this evening."

She truly smiled now, part because of the last name in his alias and part because this was Nate. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

His expression didn't change. "The tournament will be starting soon."

What followed for the next two hours was an intense and very close match, in which Miss Gregory finally lost to England's reigning champion. After everyone had left, Nate cut right to the chase, eyes still glued to the floor.

"My father's building in Japan was broken into last night."

The girl inwardly smiled. He was already lying. "Oh, that's horrible! Was anything stolen?"

"His whole life's research on forensic science."

"Have the police caught the robber yet?"

"No." He suddenly locked eyes with her, grey on green. "But they're close."

In other words, barely a day had passed and she was already on thin ice. She inwardly sighed, remembering her client's words.

_I know that the building has top-notch security. However, the getaway's easy. I'll pay you two million dollars for your trouble._

She'd have to have a few choice words with him if she ever got out of this mess, and probably steal an additional million from his account. Of course, she could always throw Nate a curveball…

She nodded, turning away from him. "I see." She paused. From here there was no turning back, and if she didn't play her cards right, she could be tossed in jail for the rest of her life. "It'd be a shame to see them get away. But from what it sounds like, the thief was probably hired."

"Yes. I know that for a fact."

"Hm. Well, I really do need to be getting to my aunt's house." The brunette walked to the door. "Oh, and 'Alex'? If either of us had parents, they probably would have watched the tournament." Then the girl, who was definitely guilty, disappeared into the night, leaving Near alone with his thoughts.

**Yay, chapter two's done! Erm, well, I suppose I should say that I don't own Deathnote. **

**Reviews are nice. They make me work on stories.**


	3. Chapter 3

She left quickly, sticking to the shadows, abandoning her crutches. Just to be safe, she doubled back and crossed through an abandoned building to make sure no one was on her tail. Then she headed for the rundown hotel to give her client the data.

Of course, she had made a copy and kept it on her, in case Near caught her. The client in question was David, no last name, a 42 year old man who ran a blood diamond business. Why he needed the information, she wasn't sure, but her job was to just deliver it. Using a back maintenance door, she entered the hotel.

In the room, a beefy, cunning looking man sat behind a desk, wearing an expensive looking suit. On either side of him there were serious looking men, his bodyguards. "Ah, Blue." David said when she entered the specified room, cigar dangling out of his mouth. Her alias she had given him was 'Bluebird'.

"I trust you have the data." Wordlessly, she tossed the flash drive. He caught it, eyes never leaving hers, before tucking it somewhere inside his jacket. "Now, as for payment…"

He produced from his suit a small silver pistol. The girl didn't so much as blink, but raised her hands slightly from her sides, like a bird about to take flight. Then she spoke, not an ounce of fear in her voice.

"I knew you intended to kill me." She paused, and the corners of her mouth twitched up. "That's why I emptied out your account." That made David pause, before flicking out his phone, still pointing the gun at her. After a moment, his face turned red.

"You little…" he dropped his phone, both hands now on the gun. He was shaking and his face was nearly purple. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

She ran to the bodyguard on the right, moving so fast that it was impossible to tell if she had been hit. She easily dodged his flying fists with such grace that he looked like a clumsy elephant in comparison. On the next punch she ducked under his arm, than hit some pressure point on his shoulder.

He fell like a rock, and she cartwheeled across the desk, and both of her converse-wearing feet landed squarely on the second man's face. For good measure, she also knocked David out. After a moment of rooting around in his jacket, she found the flash drive. Then she scooped his phone off of the ground before fleeing through the broken window.

Waiting in the street was a black limousine, engine idling. She knew it was Near's- he had in fact followed her. Without hesitation, she ran to it. Someone inside opened the door and she jumped in, landing on the car's floor on her back. Above her was a certain white-haired boy. The second she was in, the car drove off.

"Would you like to explain what happened, 'Lillian'?"

"David's in there." She stated matter-of-factly as she folded her hands over her stomach. Near nodded to someone in the front seat and the car took a sharp turn.

"Would you like to explain why you were meeting him?" she didn't say anything. In the silence, he could hear her uneven breathing. Something red dripped out from beneath her hands.

"Are you hurt?" Near asked, alarm in his usually emotionless voice.

She shrugged, eyes closed. "Not even I can dodge bullets."

Again Near looked up to the front seat. "Head to the nearest hospital."

**Dun dun duhn. XD**

**I don't own Deathnote, but you should know that, reviews are nice. K bye. **

**Oh and thanks for the reviews, ****smokeyuchiha**** and ****theheartstourniquet****!**


	4. Chapter 4

She must have fainted in the car, because when she awoke she was in a hospital bed.

The first thing that hit her was the smell. Disinfectant and bleach over pain and blood. She hated it, and immediately was filled with the need to flee. She sat up, and two other things occurred to her.

First of all, the dull pain in her stomach had turned to a stinging pain that felt like someone was stabbing her repeatedly when she moved. She was wearing one of those flimsy hospital gowns over her jeans, seeing as to how her shirt was ruined. Second, her left hand, the one without tubes poking out of it, was handcuffed to the bed.

At that moment, Near walked in. The girl's face, which at a moment ago was tight with pain, quickly morphed into a smirk. She didn't speak until he had closed the door and sat on a flimsy folding chair, pulling one leg up to his chest.

"I've been shot in the stomach, and it hurts to breathe, let alone walk. You probably have police crawling around this place and the town in case I do somehow escape. And yet you still handcuff me to the bed and hook me up to a drug that will knock me out for a day if I try to take the tubes out."

Near didn't acknowledge the fact that she talked. He didn't even blink. "You should lie down."

"Nah, I think I'll just sit here in mortal agony until I eventually pass out." She was incredibly sarcastic, Near noted, although he was satisfied to see that she slowly lowered herself back down onto the bed, though she kept herself propped up on her elbows.

"We were unable to find anything about you except for seven of your aliases."

In reply, the girl just smirked.

"So what is your name?"

"Bell."

"Do you have a last-"

"Sparrow. Minnie. Tina. Charlotte." She paused for a moment, thoughtful. "I've also been called Shrimp, Squirt, Sweetie, Little Girl, and Poor Thing. Depending on the orphanage."

"What is your real name?"

The girl shrugged. "Don't have one. I have no idea who my father is, and my mother died during childbirth."

In the silence that followed, the girl became very interested in the ceiling tiles.

"In that case, I will proceed to call you by the alias you gave Mr. David, who is now in jail." After a pause, Near spoke again. "We know you broke into the building in Japan."

"To be brutally honest, I expected you to find me by the time I got to the airport." She glanced at Near, who was staring at her expectantly. She sighed. "It's in the backpack."

"We searched it upon our arrival and found nothing of interest, besides David's cell phone."

"I know." This time it was Bluebird who stared at Near, until he finally stood and shuffled over to a desk by the window, where her backpack and neatly folded sweatshirt lay. He walked back just as slow, handing the black bag to her. She sat up again, unzipped the top, then opened a hidden compartment in the bottom of the bag.

"We already searched all three of the hidden pockets."

The girl ignored him, and blindly rooted around the seams of the compartment with her fingers, until she found a loose string. She carefully pulled on it, and a fourth hidden pocket opened on the side of the backpack. She handed the flash drive to Near, her face as expressionless as his. She set the backpack down by her feet before slowly laying down again.

"I could arrest you on charges for trespassing and robbery." Near stated simply.

"It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"The nurse said that you are allowed to leave in four to five days."

"Then I should be functional by tomorrow." Near slightly raised his eyebrows, his version of being surprised. The girl smirked. "This isn't my first time being shot, you know."

"Then I shall see you tomorrow." Near said before leaving, the door shutting soundlessly behind him. She closed her eyes, and in moments she was asleep.

**Short chapters, cuz that's just how I roll. XD**

**Although It'd be interesting if Blue was supernatural with fast healing powers, she isn't. She's just the type that's like **_**"Full recovery is for wussies. As soon as I can stand, I'm fine."**_

**You should all know that I don't own Deathnote. This isn't even following its storyline. It's like a sequel.**

**And thanks to ****YaoiLoverDeathNote1****, ****theheartstourniquet****, and ****Avasaya**** for more reviews! People who review are awesome!**

**(I hit 777 words in this chappie!)**


	5. Chapter 5

Near arrived the next morning at 7:00 am to an empty hospital bed, handcuffs lying closed on the floor by his feet. Matsuda had already whipped his phone out, preparing to alert the other police officers, when Bluebird walked out of the bathroom. She had changed back into one of her spare t-shirts, a bit of bandage wrapped around her right arm where she had yanked the tubes from the IV drip bags out. She glanced at them disinterestedly before slowly sitting on the edge of the bed, facing them. Matsuda was the first to speak.

"But... how did you get out of the handcuffs? And the drug…"

"It wore off an hour ago. Smith and Wesson handcuffs are amazingly easy to break out of. Now, if you had used the Polezei or the Rivolier model… but those are old school. And French. You're unlikely to find them in England."

"You could have escaped." Matsuda said, genuinely curious. "Why didn't you?"

She held up her hands, the fingertips covered in black ink. "You've got my fingerprints. Even if I did run, it'd be awful hard to hide. So I figured it'd be easier if I stayed here."

"Please leave, Matsuda." Near stated. "I must converse with Bluebird alone."

The disgruntled and slightly confused officer left, but it wasn't for another minute that Near spoke again. "Once you are fully recovered, you will go to jail."

Bluebird said nothing, and became very interested in her backpack straps.

"Or you may assist us with some of our cases."

She sighed. "Fine." At Near's silence, she rolled her eyes. "It's obvious you need help on a case. You're just too stubborn to admit it." She stood rather stiffly, tossing her backpack over her shoulder. Instead of bending over to pick up her shoes, she picked one up between her toes then tossed it into the air, catching it. She repeated the process with the other shoe, and then carried them, staying barefoot.

Near, who had been watching her with total silence, spoke. "Your stomach wound hurts." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Nah, I've got a gaping hole in my stomach but I'm just _fine_. Now let's go to whatever private place you have to discuss the details of a case that you need help from someone who broke into your own building."

After a fifteen minute car ride, they arrived at a hotel, where almost every surface was covered with either toys or computers, showing building plans and video feeds. Actually, building plans and video plans from one particular building.

"This is the RoboTech Company's headquarters." Bluebird said almost the second she saw the monitors, with a mix of shock and awe. It was a 70 story building, which could be considered unusually large, but RoboTech Technology and Electronics had jumped to the most popular computer and cellphone company in a short ten years. And therefore, they had made an unusually large amount of enemies with many companies, including some that had gone under. Therefore, their security was unusually tight.

She whirled to face Near. "You want me to break into _that_?"

He ignored her question, instead walking over to the coffee table, which sat a dice tower replica of New York City and a laptop with a woman's face taking up almost the entire screen. She was not smiling, and her blonde hair was pulled into a severely tight bun. "This is Bethany Anne Jones, vice president of RoboTech."

"She's definitely the type I would label as 'Haughty, Paranoid, and Corrupt'." Bluebird stated, who was standing behind Near.

"She is also the manager of RoboTech's security. She had worked in the blood diamond business, but after one of her shipments sunk she retreated back to her cover job." He indicated a different monitor sitting on a side table, which showed a particular part of the building, floor 57. "She had an apartment built there. She rarely ever leaves." Bluebird had started to walk around the room, studying different monitors. For the first time since Near had met her, she looked serious. She also started muttering things under her breath, Near only catching parts, such as "Small air ducts" and "High security zones".

"Someone has released viruses into the company's technology, which is used by the governments of Canada, the United States of America, France, Japan, and England itself. All five of these countries have experienced these viruses, and unable to find the culprit they have turned to L."

Bluebird was silent, still inspecting computer screens. Near was about to repeat what he had said when she suddenly spoke. "You believe that Bethany Jones is the culprit, most likely assisted by some accomplices."

"Yes, but I have no solid evidence, and no legal ways to obtain the evidence I need."

Bluebird turned to face him. "So you are going to use me to obtain it illegally." Near nodded, and she sighed. "When do you want me to break in?"

"As soon as you can."

She nodded, eyebrows furrowed. "I'll need to fully recover… gather supplies… map a route…" she nodded again. "Give me a week."

**Yay, now we have a basic storyline! (I have a horrible habit of starting stories with absolutely no plot or storyline involved.)**

**I don't own Deathnote. (Shocker!)**

**And thanks to ****Avasaya**** and ****theheartstourniquet**** for more awesome reviews!**

**And no, ****theheartstourniquet****, she won't be flying. (Not anytime soon, that is…)**


	6. Chapter 6

Near began to construct a replica of Seattle, Washington from many packages of toothpicks; he had already used five packs to create the Space Needle. Bluebird had produced a poster-sized piece of paper and spread it out on the hardwood floor, along with multicolored pens. She had drawn the floor plan in black for floor 57 (where Bethany's apartment was), the ground floor, floor 42 (Bethany's office), and floors 60-65 (where the data storage computers were kept). Then, consulting other computers, she drew the air ducts over the pictures in green. Using other colors, such as blue, purple, and orange, she drew different routes, along with security systems in red. With grey, she marked where the guards were according to the security cameras. What little space there was left was filled with notes, surprisingly neat for how fast she wrote.

Near, who had long since finished his model of Seattle, had been watching her for a good fifteen minutes. When she sat back, still staring at the plans in front of her, he spoke.

"Your plans are very detailed."

"To state the obvious." She snapped back, tone clearly annoyed. The overlapping colors were quite disorienting. After a moment of muttering to herself, she pulled out two sharpies. She began to trace her route in black, occasionally switching to silver. Aware that Near was still watching her, she spoke again. "I rarely ever have the convenience of both floor plans and security feeds." She glanced at the clock, and was surprised to see that five hours had passed since she had started. She finished tracing her route in sharpie, and then pulled out a piece of notebook paper. After another five minutes of furious scribbling, she had made a supply list, and handed it to Near. It looked something like this:

-4 packs of gum

-roll of tin foil

-wire cutters

-janitor cart and attire

-glide suit + parachute

-sparrow

-Original Blackberry cell phone

-2 USB drives

"Why do you specifically require an Original Blackberry cell phone?" it amused Bluebird that he asked about the phone instead of the sparrow, but he probably knew about the trick she pulled in Japan.

"The newest Blackberry is now owned by Robotech, but the oldest model is not because so few people use it anymore. Therefore, it will be safer to use because it isn't as easily traceable. Also, it is my personal favorite phone to use when hacking."

Near nodded. "I will get some of our police agents to collect these things." Bluebird scowled, annoyed that she couldn't get it herself, because she really wanted to get out of the hotel. She stood.

"I'm going to go get some food." She declared as she walked towards the door, only to be blocked by Near.

"I would prefer that you used room service."

"You really don't trust me, do you?"

"No. You did, after all, break into my building in Japan."

They stared at each other for a good couple of minutes, and to anyone else it could have looked like they were having a friendly staring contest. Finally, Bluebird rolled her eyes.

"Fine." Then her hand whipped out to a spot on Near's neck.

He was unconscious on the floor before she even withdrew her hand. Then she put on her shoes, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and walked out the door.

It was by pure luck that Watari was supposed to come up to check on them five minutes after Bluebird left, otherwise they probably wouldn't have been able to find her. However, after a quick call to Matsuda and Aizawa, who had been called in to work on the case, they found her.

True to her word, she had gotten herself some food, sitting in a small little outdoor café not two blocks away from the hotel where Near was staying. She probably had chosen this spot on purpose; her light blue T-shirt stuck out from the red brick of the building.

Upon seeing her, they quickly walked up, denying the waitress's offer for coffee.

"Near orders that we escort you back to headquarters." Aizawa said, a little breathless.

Bluebird, who had ordered the soup special (a cream of mushroom and potato soup), slowly finished chewing before finally answering the two policemen.

"I was under the impression that he was unconscious."

The waitress came by with the bill. Bluebird handed her fifteen pounds, told her to keep the change, and stood. The two police officers trailed behind her, but abruptly stopped when she headed in the opposite direction from the hotel.

"B-Bluebird!" Matsuda exclaimed, clearly confused. "What are you doing?"

She stopped and turned, the edges of her mouth twitching up. "I haven't had any free time in forever. I'm not going to waste it in a hotel room. And if you insist on going back to the hotel…" she grinned. "I'll be able to practice my police evading skills."

Of course Aizawa and Matsuda followed her, but lost her nearly as fast as it had taken Bluebird to leave the hotel. They even called on some off-duty English policemen, but she still evaded capture. One claimed to have seen her enter a dance club, but by the time he was done arguing with the bouncer she was gone.

Meanwhile, Bluebird herself was having a great time. At first she had messed with the police officers, sort of testing them to see whether or not she should play it cautious or just be careful. She was entertained to see that they lost her so easily, and was currently hopping from one dance club to another (the officer nearly caught her on the third). Of course, her real trump card over the police (and Near) was yet to come. But first, there was a mall across the street… she considered herself a tomboy, but every girl had an inner shopping monster, and hers was asking for 'just a necklace' and 'maybe another ear piercing'.

They spent many hours looking for Bluebird, but eventually gave up and came back to Near's hotel room at eleven p.m. Matsuda excused himself to one of the spare bedrooms, wanting a nap (he knew Near wasn't going to let them sleep until she was found). He opened the door, and his yell of surprise brought the others running.

Lying on top of the blankets, passed out and with her shoes still on, was Bluebird.

**Haha lol. XD**

**It's so fun to write about Bluebird, and she almost seems to write the story herself.**

**Like when Near told her to stay in the hotel, I was just planning on her ordering random crap from room service, but instead she knocked him out.**

**It had no point whatsoever, but it was fun.**

…**and I brought Watari back from the dead. Because he is too cool.**

**And he might be needed later on. So yeah.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Bluebird in this story.**

**And thanks to ****CallMeHush****, ****theheartstourniquet****, ****smokeyuchiha****, and ****HarryPotterMangaGleek**** for more awesome reviews!**

**Theheartstourniquet, ****I always want legos.**


	7. Chapter 7

Bluebird had been sitting in the spare bedroom for a half an hour, and she had actually fallen asleep. She had awoken when Matsuda had opened the door, but she pretended to still be sleeping, one of the policemen quietly shutting the door. Now they were discussing in voices just quiet enough that she couldn't make out their words, most likely trying to figure out how she had gotten in.

In order to enter the hotel unnoticed, she had scaled the side of the building. Because it had sounded like fun.

Also, this would help her win Near's trust because even though she would be undoubtedly punished, she was also saying:

"I could have gotten away. But I chose not to."

And he still needed her help for breaking into the Robotech building, so whatever happened she was guaranteed leverage.

Again she drifted off to sleep.

When she again awoke, it was dark, the deep kind of dark that was like a black curtain right in front of your face. She was on the far left side of the bed, sheets still beneath her but tangled around her feet. She was on her side, facing towards the right, so she could see the LED clock light which read 3:22. She could faintly hear the city below, horns honking, sirens wailing, and music from a night club.

Something else had woken her, she was sure of it. She laid still, eyes and ears attempting to penetrate the darkness. Though it was three, she was wide awake.

There it was again; a slight shuffling noise, coming from behind her. Before she could discern what it was, something lightly touched her shoulder.

Immediately she twisted around, feet kicking out in front of her into the darkness; her kick missed but the sheet caught on something that gave a muffled cry. Feet free, she leapt at the sound, right hand blindly grabbing something from the bedside table. After a slight scuffle she had the person underneath her pinned, and she cautiously turned on the lamp.

Soft yellow light filled the room, although she hadn't really needed it; beneath her was Near, eyes wide, face for once alight with fear and shock. She was holding a pencil against his neck. She sighed and sat back, still holding the pencil out in front of her.

"Next time you want to wake me up at three in the morning, Nate, just turn on the light. I prefer to eat breakfast before defending myself against potential assailants."

Near, who had restored his facial expression back to its usual emotionless mask, replied with the faintest hint of sarcasm. "Next time you are assaulted, I suggest using an actual weapon. Pencils aren't a very efficient tool in self-defense."

"Would you like me to test that theory?"

Near eyed the pencil warily. "No. Although I would appreciate it if you would get off of me."

Bluebird sat back on the edge of the bed, placing the pencil back onto the table. Under the yellow glow, Near's grey eyes looked gold, giving him an owl-like appearance. Adrenaline gone, she again felt weary. She heaved a great sigh. Her stomach hurt.

"What was so important that you wanted to tell me right away but not alert anyone else, regardless of the time?"

"Miss Jones received a death threat from her former boss, and has taken a 'much needed vacation'."

Bluebird's eyes widened. "Then we'll break in today." She leapt to her feet and began pacing in front of Near. "Her office and apartment will be empty! We won't have to waste time making sure that she's distracted! And security will be a little relaxed, because their manager won't be in." She stopped in front of Near, eyes cold and determined. "Right now."

"What?"

She hastily pulled Near to his feet, and then frantically began organizing her bag while she talked. "We'll go and do the job right now! It's the three o'clock watch, security guards are always at their worst between two and four in the morning. And it's also the time that janitors and other maintenance workers come!" She put her hair into a quick braid, which she then tucked into a black beanie hat. She zipped her sweatshirt, and tucked what suspiciously looked like a lock-picking kit into one of her pockets. She looked back at Near. "Do you have all of the supplies?"

Near, who had been silent, nodded. "Yes." He turned to the door. "I'll wake Matsuda."

Bluebird grinned, filled with more energy than Near had ever seen her have even in the middle of the day. "Let's get this show on the road."

**Woo transition chapter! =D**

…**That's all I really have to say. I went to bed at midnight last night, had to wake up at six, and now it's 10:30. I am tired.**

**And thanks to ****LynnJK****, ****theheartstourniquet****, and ****HarryPotterMangaGleek**** for awesome reviews!**

**HarryPotterMangaGleek****, she wasn't in Matsuda's room, it was a spare bedroom. Besides, she's WAY too young for him. *wags finger in a disapproving fashion***

**As for the sparrow, you'll just have to wait and see. *laughs evilishly* **

**Disclaimer: I disclaim. **

…**But Bluebird is mine. **


	8. Chapter 8

Less than a half an hour later, they arrived at Robotech, parking across the street. Nobody was to be seen, but most of the office windows of the giant building were on, shining brighter than any of the street lamps. Bluebird was anxious to get out of the car, because Matsuda had been loudly complaining for the whole ride, which had gotten annoying very fast, even though he was in the front seat next to Watari. Matsuda in question was dressed in a blue jumpsuit, plain except for a Robotech patch and a security ID swiped from a Robotech employee sticking out of his front pocket.

Before Bluebird could leave, however, Near stopped her. "I'm going to have you wear an earpiece so we can communicate and record anything you may overhear."

She nodded and held out her hand, but instead felt something pressed lightly against her ear. She froze, her train of thought stopped, and she realized that Near was putting in her earpiece for her. His touch was surprisingly light, hands barely grazing the side of her face. He must have been leaning in, because she could feel his breath, warm on a spot just below her ear, and it sent a slight shiver down her spine. Then he pulled away, and she locked eyes with him, green against grey. She knew she was blushing, she could feel the warmth spreading through her cheeks.

"I could have done that myself, you know."

Near, who remained as unemotional and impassive as ever, had produced a laptop out of nowhere and began to rapidly type. "I do not doubt your ability to place an earpiece. However, these particular earpieces are fabricated so that when they are taken out, all that they have recorded will be transmitted to this computer before self-destructing."

She glared at him, even though he wasn't even looking at her, and then abruptly leapt out of the car. Matsuda was waiting, clearly uncomfortable with his outfit. Bluebird rolled her eyes.

"This isn't a fashion show, Matsuda. And wipe that look off your face, or you're going to give us away." Then she crossed the street, slipping into an alley between the Robotech building and a library.

Exactly five minutes later, Matsuda crossed the street and entered the same alley. Then he entered through a side door, using the ID card, now pushing a janitor's cart. Soon enough he arrived in the main lobby, and began to mop the floor. Back turned to the security officers, he muttered, "This wasn't worth getting up at three in the morning."

"Can it, Matsuda." Replied a Bluebird, voice slightly odd and electronic through the earpiece.

A moment later, a fluttering of wings along with a faint birdcall were heard overhead. Above them was a sparrow, immediately drawing everyone's attention, except for Matsuda, who wheeled his cart past two security officers. He quickly flashed his stolen ID, but they were paying too much attention on the ruckus overhead to notice the different picture. He wheeled the cart into the elevator, then punched the button for floor 42, which was Bethany's office. The second the doors closed, the two compartment doors on the cart opened themselves, and Bluebird slipped out. Without a word to Matsuda, she stood on top of the cart, and pushed up a ceiling panel.

"Um… good luck." Matsuda said, desperate to fill the silence.

Bluebird smiled. "I never believed in luck." Then she pulled herself up, shoes disappearing last and the panel silently appearing to replace itself.

**Argh short chapter I was planning to make this one really big but I've broken my stride of really fast updates so I wanted to give you something!**

**I am helping out my local day camp this week, and it's been chaos. YOU try feeding 178 kids.**

**And thanks to ****theheartstourniquet****, ****chabitso.0****, ****HarryPotterMangaGleek****, and ****LynnJK**** for awesome reviews!**

**Theheartstourniquet, ****now that you've called this "awesome as usual" and "perfect everytime" I'm terrified of making a chapter that won't meet your expectations.**


	9. Chapter 9

It was dark on top of the elevator, and windy. Bluebird was glad that she had tucked all of her hair into her hat, otherwise it would be blowing all over the place. She was also glad that it was a long ride up to Bethany's office, because it gave her time to try to figure out what had happened in the car. It wasn't what Near had done, that didn't bother her. It was how she had reacted. It was funny how in the most dangerous and deathly of fights, she remained completely calm, even a bit cocky. But when it came to a completely non-threatening gesture such as putting an earpiece in, Near may as well have pointed a gun against her head.

Even trying to sort out the mess confused her, and she knew there was a reason, but it evaded her grasp. And was she really worrying about this now, when she was about to find evidence for a crime she never knew had existed, let alone what form said evidence would take?

The silence was shattered by Near's voice, and she jumped. "You are five floors away."

She rolled her eyes, even though there was no one there to see it. "I know."

She stood, loosely holding onto the elevator cable for support. She could feel the elevator slowing down as they reached floor 42, before it stopped completely. Working quickly, she pried the metal grate off, setting it down on top of the elevator. Then she crawled into the air ducts. Below her was Matsuda, pushing the janitor's cart; one of the wheels was squeaking slightly, which had been deprived of oil on purpose so that any security guards or late-night employees wouldn't notice any quiet scuffling above them.

Two guards appeared in front of Matsuda, faces as serious as the guns at their sides.

"3 am is an odd time for janitors to come." One of them growled more than spoke, voice gravelly from years of smoking. Matsuda was clearly at a loss, and almost jumped when Bluebird's voice came through the earpiece.

"They're David's goons. Look at your hands, and make a believable excuse. Don't say anyone in particular, so they can't investigate."

"Um… well, some other employees were complaining about how much noise I make, so I figured if I came later then there would be less people to bother…"

One of the guards narrowed his eyes, as if trying to see if he could see through Matsuda. Then he grumbled, "Then scram, before you bother me."

Matsuda quickly left, grumbling. "How is it that a policeman can be pushed around by security guards?"

"You are a Japanese policeman." Near corrected, the first time that he had addressed Matsuda since the car ride.

Finding no comeback, Matsuda sighed and continued walking down the hall. Soon enough he arrived at Jones's office, and began to mop in front of the door.

Inside, Bluebird had just finished casually dropping to the floor from the air ducts. Without even a second glance at the trophies and awards posted on the walls, she stuck a cord into Bethany Jones's computer, the other end of the cord attached to her Blackberry cell phone. It took her no time at all to break into her computer—she was able to guess the password (Mauritania, the African country that she had been stationed in while working in the blood diamond business). As soon as the loading screen appeared, she stood disinterestedly and milled about the room, occasionally fiddling with things such as an African tribal mask hung on the wall as well as an inspirational poster with a picture of a mountain range.

She cocked her head to the side, silent, as if she was studying a map. Then she lifted the poster from its hook. Taped to the back of it was an envelope that had previously been opened. She quickly read the letter inside, and her eyes widened. She folded the letter and tucked it inside her sweatshirt, but put the envelope back in its place.

Again Near's voice interrupted the relative silence, and again Bluebird jumped. "Have you found anything?"

She turned back to the computer and retrieved the phone, unplugging the cord. She spoke in a whisper, but the earpiece was still able to pick it up. "I just finished downloading all of the data from Bethany's personal computer. I'm sending it to you now." After a pause, she spoke again. "I searched the room, but didn't find anything else."

Near was silent, and for a moment she thought that Near had detected her lie. "There was not any significant piece of information in the data you sent me. Go back to the elevator."

Bluebird had already stood on the desk, jumping back into the semi-darkness of the air ducts. She replaced the panel, muttering "Yes sir, of course, sir. Would you like fries with that?" Soon she was back on the elevator, which hadn't moved. Since she beat Matsuda back, she replaced the grate on the air duct, and then the elevator lurched upward again. The wind was cool, and it tugged at a bit of stray hair. She tucked the strand back into her hat. She was fidgety and impatient, even though there were only fifteen floors between Bethany's office and apartment. She wanted to move on with the job, to give her something to concentrate on. The letter she found had troubled her, and lying to Near had troubled her, too—she wasn't troubled by the lying itself. Deceiving and cheating had kept her alive all these years. But lying to Near would only last for so long. He probably suspected her of lying, anyway, and once he found out what she had kept from him, she would be arrested, help or no help.

The elevator abruptly stopped, and Bluebird stood._ Finally_.

**Woo I finished another chapter. And I would give you an excuse for why this one took a while, but frankly I don't have one. XD.**

**I threw in the letter thing cuz it sounded good, so it will probably show up again.**

_**Dang, now I've got to figure out what the letter even says…**_

**And thanks to ****x-Beyond-B****, ****YaoiLoverDeathNote1****, ****, ****theheartstourniquet****, ****Kiwipichu890****, ****Hawkbelly****, ****chabitso.0****, and ****HarryPotterMangaGleek**** for more awesome reviews! Yay for this being my most popular story!**

**Theheartstourniquet****, you're going to make me blush so bad you'll be able to see it through your computer screen. But thank you lots!**

**chabitso.0****, I have now, and I apologize, for that is a very easy song to get stuck in your head. XD**

**HarryPotterMangaGleek****, I don't particularly like Near. His social skills are worse than L's, and he can be a jerk at times. He uses people. He would be a TERRIBLE boyfriend (if 1. He actually had feelings for someone and 2. If he has feelings at all.)**

**But I will give you five reasons why I am using him in my story, though. (And so the diehard Near fans don't murder me in my sleep.)**

**My story needed a detective, and since this is a sort of epilogue to the series, L, Mello and Matt are dead (RIP). I could have used an OC detective, but I wanted it to still feel like Deathnote. So I used the only one left: Near.**

**I could have made this story a prologue to Deathnote, but L probably would have locked up Bluebird for breaking into his building. Mello would have killed her, and Matt wouldn't have cared. Near seemed like the only one that would use her.**

**Yes, since I brought back Watari I could have brought back one of the other detectives. However, reviving L or Mello would have messed with the Deathnote storyline, which I don't like to do. Like I said above, Matt wouldn't care.**

**Mello or Matt could probably handle Bluebird's wild factor best out of all of them. I don't know how L would have handled the situation with Bluebird leaving the hotel, but using Near meant that he would have little or no control over Bluebird (which, you have to admit, was funny).**

**There aren't nearly as many fan fictions about Near as there are about L and the others. A lot of fan fictions with him either depict him as a total jerk or as someone that takes advantage of people like how Light did. I think he's more of the type that would state matter-of-factly that he is using you. So I just wanted to show how I think his character is.**

**Just to let you know, you increased the number count on this story by a good 300/400 words. This is also my longest reply to someone who has reviewed.**

**I own nothing but Bluebird. Peace out.**


	10. Chapter 10

As it turned out, there wasn't anything on the computer in Bethany's apartment. Though Bluebird thoroughly searched every nook, cranny, and hiding place, she didn't find another letter.

Things finally started to get interesting in the first data room. The only grate from the air ducts had its very own security camera, so she had to decode the number lock on the door. She opened the door barely enough to squeeze in, and quietly shut it behind her, pressing herself against it. In front of her were gigantic black boxes as tall as her in three separate rows, holding thousands of gigabytes of information. It would take thousands of USB drives to take it all, but Near had only requested the data on their security network.

Above her was a heat sensitive camera, but it's one design flaw was that it couldn't sense anything directly below it. From her backpack she produced a sheet of tin foil and popped a piece of gum into her mouth.

Turning around, she hoisted herself up, right foot balanced on the door handle. Her left foot hung out in empty space, and her right hand had a desperate grip on the doorframe.

Working with just her left hand, she shaped the piece of tin foil into a cone, sticking her gum inside. Then, very slowly, she lifted the tin foil in front of the camera, until it was covered by the cone. The gum stuck to the camera and kept it there.

She jumped down, lightly shaking out her right hand, and again turned around and studied the room. She narrowed her eyes and cocked her head, thinking. The lights had automatically switched on when she came into the room, so it had a motion sensor somewhere. No alarm had gone off when she came in, so she came to the conclusion that they were hiding something else.

She ran her fingers along the wall beside the door, and after a moment abruptly stopped. She had found a miniature screw painted the same white as the room. She found an additional three and pulled them out; beneath the now loose panel was a light switch, the type you would find in an ordinary home. She flipped it, and plunged the room into pitch-black darkness. When she turned around, she could no longer see the gigantic black data boxes, but the room was also faintly lit by light white lines.

"Lasers," She muttered. "That are such a light color, you can't see them with the lights on."

However, they had probably relied more on disguising the lasers than being thorough when installing them, because they were only at ankle, waist, and head level. So all she had to do was duck between the ankle and waist lasers (she wasn't tall enough to reach the head height laser, anyway). She located the box that contained part of the security data, and sent it to Near, which turned out to be a slow process. She had been sitting there for fifteen minutes, and it was only 90% finished sending all of the data to Near.

Then Matsuda's voice shattered the near-silence. "Someone's coming."

Bluebird breathed in deeply, letting out one choice swear word. "Stall him, Matsuda."

"How?"

"Trip him or something."

In front of Matsuda was a tall, no nonsense man, dressed in a suit despite the hour. He glared at him as he approached. It took a considerable amount of effort on Matsuda's part, but he smiled. "Morning!" In response, the man just glared again. "Careful, the floor's wet."

The man ignored him, pushing past him. The moment the man's polished shoes hit the wet spot on the floor, Matsuda pushed the mop handle against the heel of the man's left leg. The water and gravity did the rest, sending the man sprawling onto the floor. The man stood angrily, swearing and threatening to have him fired. He punched out the numbers abusively on the keypad, and then entered.

Bluebird hastily covered the screen of her blackberry phone, the only light source in the room. She could almost see the hulking figure pause, confused, before reaching over to the panel. Before he switched the lights back on, however, a slight 'ping' echoed from her phone, indicating that it was done loading. The man paused for the slightest moment, but it gave her enough time to gather the phone and cord. She weaved through the lasers to the end of the room, and hid behind the end of her row. The lights switched on, causing the lasers to again become invisible.

"I know you are in here." Boomed the giant figure's voice, coming from her left. She very carefully edged to the right, cursing herself for not remembering where the lasers were. After a pause, the man spoke again, slowly but deliberately. "Deactivate rows one and two, code seven house passport three four six."

Then she could hear the man walk forward, pausing for a second every other step. She pieced it together, and she smirked. The lasers were voice activated, and he had deactivated the ones at ankle and waist level, but left the head level lasers. That's why he was ducking at every other step, since he was tall. _Too bad for him that I'm short._

She crept silently down the row of boxes, pressing herself against them, moving when he moved. Eventually she reached the end of the row, and sprinted to the door, again shutting the lights off before fleeing the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Matsuda was still outside of the room, and quickly she opened a different cabinet on the janitor's cart, producing a bulky backpack she handed to Matsuda. "Leave the cart, meet me on the roof." Matsuda sprinted off, but Bluebird headed the other direction, away from the elevators.

Moments later, the same voice of the hulking man came over the intercom. "There's an intruder! We are putting the building on lockdown!"

"How are we supposed to get out?" Matsuda spluttered; he was in the elevator, heading towards the roof.

"Use the parachute." Muttered Bluebird over the earpiece.

"What para-" he glanced down at the backpack, as if just noticing it for the first time. He also noticed the pull cord attached to it. "Oh."

**Yay for getting a chapter done in one sitting! Yay we're in double digit chapters now! :D**

**Thanks to ****Kiwipichu890****, ****x-Beyond-B****, ****chabitso.0****, and ****theheartstourniquet**** for more awesome reviews! I love you so. (But not in a creepy pedo way.)**

**chabitso.0****, I love Leverage so much, a lot of my inspiration for scenes like this one came from that show, and part of Bluebird's character is based off of Parker.**

**Theheartstourniquet****, Bluebird doesn't quite realize that she likes Near, but when she does she'll probably be like "aw, crap." XD**


	11. Chapter 11

It took a total of four minutes for Matsuda to reach the roof in the elevator, and during that time Bluebird knocked out three guards, interrogated the director of advertisement, climbed ten flights of stairs, and still managed to beat Matsuda to the top. When the elevator doors opened, he jumped, surprised to see her there. She was wearing an odd looking black jumpsuit, with flaps stretched between her arms and legs, so that he was reminded of a flying squirrel.

"It's a glide suit. Come on, we need to get going." She paused to make sure the parachute straps were tight, then stepped back, inclining her head towards the edge of the building. Matsuda instinctively backed away.

"Erm… ladies first?"

Bluebird rolled her eyes. "I don't think you have the guts to take off on your own." She turned and indicated a dark patch in the land below. "That's a lake just off of a golf course. We rendezvous with Near there."

Matsuda stared at her for a moment, then his eyes widened. "You knew this would happen."

"No. I planned for the worst, and hoped for the best. Now get going!"

Matsuda cautiously approached the edge, but stopped again when he was two feet away. He wasn't necessarily afraid of heights, but he was pretty sure that he had a right to be hesitant. After all, he was being told to jump from a seventy story building, and most of his instincts were screaming at him not to jump.

Again Bluebird rolled her eyes. She walked up and pushed Matsuda, who went hurtling towards the earth. Then she jumped off of the building, with a familiar grace of someone having done something thousands of times. For a couple of moments she fell headfirst towards the ground, before spreading out her arms. Air caught beneath the flaps, slowing her descent while she angled herself towards the lake.

Again Bluebird beat Matsuda, and sat on an abandoned dock for a good five minutes, dripping wet but grinning from ear to ear. Granted, Matsuda had ended up falling into the middle of the lake, while she had landed one hundred feet off of the shore. Near arrived behind her, still in his white pajamas, although their ride had changed to a nondescript grey van. She wordlessly handed him both the flash drive and the blackberry phone.

Matsuda finally showed up and they drove off, Matsuda and Watari in the front while Near and Bluebird sat in the back. Her clothes beneath the glide suit were relatively dry, though she didn't bother to dry off her hair, which was tangled and dripping. They were switching hotels and had decided to drive back to London because of its distance from Robotech and the amount of people there would make it hard to track them down.

Bluebird must have fallen asleep, because next thing she knew she was being elbowed in the ribs. She reluctantly opened her eyes to see that she had fallen asleep on Near's shoulder, who must have had enough sense to not wake her up. She wasn't surprised she had fallen asleep, either; she had only gotten five hours of sleep, after all.

Again that feeling from the limo came, and she desperately wanted it to go away. Since the car had stopped, she assumed that they were at the hotel, and she practically jumped out of the car, hardly glancing at the towering five star hotel before her that shone as if completely made of gold. Haughty looking men and women, most in suits and dresses, bustled in and out of the hotel, busy despite the hour.

"Rich people." She muttered, nose wrinkled in disgust.

Among them was a man with eyes so dark they appeared to be black, a man she immediately recognized and had hoped never to see again. He was leaning against a shop window, and stared at her with the eerie calm of someone who knew everything that had happened, everything that was happening, and everything that was yet to happen. It struck her how he hadn't changed at all since they had last met seven years ago. Fury and fear arose inside her at the sight of him, and she yanked out the earpiece and slightly crumpled letter, handing them to Near.

"I've done my duty. Don't follow me if you know what's good for you." She sprinted away before he could say anything, dodging between traffic. On the other side of the street she slipped between people, who stared at her in surprise as she raced by. Only when she had traveled several blocks did she glance behind her, and grinned when she saw the dark-eyed man shoving his way through a crowd of all-night party goers.

She wove through a couple of back alleys, breathing heavily but not tiring. She knew that he would eventually catch up to her, and she also knew that he aimed to kill. The man was unhinged and bloodthirsty, and it didn't matter if they were in the middle of a crowded street. Finally she stopped in a notably dark alley, abandoned even by the rats. She hid behind an old dumpster and waited. Seconds later the man arrived and paused, approximately five feet away from her.

"Jacob Michael Bowers." Bluebird called out, and the man replied by shooting wildly in her direction. She didn't worry. The dumpster was old enough to be made of thick metal, and was still strong despite being partially rusted. "The mastermind behind the Chicago Suicide Case, in which five victims over-consumed their sleeping pills and died. Very ingenious, switching their prescription with their more deadly counterparts."

She could hear the man approaching, but she didn't bother to move. Soon, he stood in front of her, a 9mm pistol clutched between his two hands. It was pointed directly at her forehead. There was a maniac gleam in his eyes. "Sara Owens, otherwise known as the Hawk for Hire. Knowing for succeeding in all sorts of thievery, from cars to president's daughters to components for atomic bombs."

The man's eyes filled with rage, and his voice shook. "You murdered my father. You killed him point-blank after he hired you. And now you will pay."

Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled the trigger. Bluebird closed her eyes.

**Cliffhanger!**

**Fff I haven't updated in forever im sorry! DX**

**School's hit me like a tidal wave. This chapter was bits and pieces of stuff written before going to bed.**

**As always, thank you ****theheartstourniquet****, ****chabitso.0****, and ****Kiwipichu890**** for reviews! X3**

**Theheartstourniquet****, I had Bluebird fly (sort of)!**


	12. Chapter 12

Without a moment's hesitation, Jacob pulled the trigger. Bluebird closed her eyes, waiting for her life to flash before her eyes, to see the light at the end of the tunnel, to hear the angels sing…

But none of that came. Instead there was a slight stinging at the very tip of her left ear, a stinging that built up to a nagging pain that she knew far too well, and even before the blood began gushing down the side of her face she knew James had jerked the gun to the left, so instead of the bullet splattering her brains onto the dumpster, it had grazed her ear.

She opened her eyes, not daring to move or try to stanch the blood flowing from her ear, as she stared at the man who wanted revenge more than everything, revenge for his father that she had killed.

Now she was screwed. She had underestimated this man. Not only had he somehow uncovered her name, which felt alien to her now, but instead of killing her he had spared her. Now she was in his debt, and she almost wished he had blown out her brains, to be done with it.

Bloodlust still raged in Jacob's eyes. "The albino detective," he stated. "Kill him. I may not guarantee you any mercy if we meet again, but if you disappear I will not follow."

Without a second glance, he turned and walked away.

Sara's heart pounded in her ears, and with a start she remembered about her wound. As she tried to stanch the blood with her sweatshirt, she could feel her body working overdrive, adrenaline rushing unused through her veins. Instead of rejoicing the fact that she was still alive she was filled with silent despair.

The man that had been chasing her for seven years had found her, and now she was supposed to kill Near if she valued her life. The easy way out would be to run again, but a very small part of her whispered that there wouldn't be any more running.

_He trusts you. Play up the ear, break his neck, and walk out. Easy._

She hurriedly pushed that thought away. It was true, though. It would be no different from killing Jacob's father.

So why was she hesitant to kill Near? She had been dodging that bullet since she had met him, and yet the truth was right in front of her, as strongly etched in her mind as the image of Jacob's bloodthirsty eyes.

She trusted Near, perhaps even had feelings for him.

Yes, she was screwed.

As she came to that revelation, she heard yelling, and immediately recognized the voice of Matsuda. At first she was annoyed—hadn't she told them not to follow her?

She thought again of running, but she was in the middle of London with an ear that was still gushing blood, which undoubtedly attract some attention. Already she was light-headed, and she was sitting. It would only get worse if she stood, let alone ran.

Matsuda's voice became louder. She thought perhaps she had gone into shock as she sat there, and she barely registered a person at the edge of her vision, which was probably the one shouting. Her ear still ached.

She wanted desperately to give in to the blackness fogging her mind, but only when it occurred to her that someone was lifting her off the ground, and that she was safe, did she allow herself to fall into the darkness.

**I'm back!**

**Pfft, I hate school. **_**Hate. It.**_** Even now I probably should be studying for Spanish, doing math homework, doing my extra credit for Health, memorizing my lines for the school musical… I haven't even had dinner yet, and it's 7pm.**

**Someone shoot me, please.**

**I have so many good ideas for this story! Life is just against giving me time to write. (Look at me, throwing excuses again when I could be writing.)**

**On a different note, it's weird calling Bluebird 'Sara'. Bluebird just sounds better. :/**

**Anyway. No guarantees on when the next chapter will be posted, but I might be able to post another during the next week (MIGHT). At the very least, I'll try to get some done over Christmas break.**

**And thanks to ****Hazelrink**** and ****Kiwipichu890**** for more reviews!**

**And thanks to those who wait patiently (or not) for me to finally get off my butt and write!**

**(and I don't own Deathnote.)**


	13. Chapter 13

Bluebird immediately knew she was dreaming. In front of her was a big brick building that she immediately recognized. It was just how she remembered it; large, red, and simple, with a perfectly trimmed garden around its perimeter. It could be a library, a house, a large workshop. Only by the faded sign above the oak door and the toys scattered about the yard could anyone know that it was an orphanage.

It was here, in a small town in the middle of nowhere, that she had been raised until the age of nine. That was how she knew it was a dream, because on her ninth birthday, the only home she had ever known had burned to the ground, leaving nothing but a crumbling brick shell and fourteen homeless kids.

Electrical fire, the officials had said.

But the real answer was arson. The caretaker himself, short on cash, had set his own house on fire for insurance, which was actually brilliant, since he would also earn insurance money for each of the children in his care.

However, the caretaker was trapped inside the building and tragically died in the fire of his own making.

At the age of nine, that had been Bluebird's first experience killing someone. The caretaker hadn't been trapped. She had snapped the elder man's neck and left his body to burn.

Afterwards, she slipped off the moment no one was looking, hopped a train, and was halfway across the country within a week, already a criminal at age nine.

All these memories flashed through her mind as she walked up the gravel pathway and hesitantly opened the door with peeling tan paint.

Though the outside of the orphanage was perfectly unscathed, the inside was burnt beyond repair, black with ash. Piles of charred wood and ruined toys littered the floor. The roof was caved in, and though the sky had been clear and blue outside the building, it was now a harsh gray. She had the feeling that it could rain at any minute.

Her footsteps echoed through the empty room, dust and ash swirling up around her feet as she made her way towards what used to be the kitchen. That was where the fire had started, where the caretaker had died.

She walked through the empty hole in the wall where the door to the kitchen used to be. Inside was just as charred as the other rooms, but tongues of fire still clung to piles of debris at the edge of the room. On the opposite wall were two open doors she knew hadn't been there before. The one on the left was consumed in fire, the one on the right led outside where the sky was mysteriously blue again.

She obviously didn't want to burn to death. She stepped toward the right door, and in that instant two people appeared in front of her.

To the left was Near. To the right was Jacob. They both stood in front of a door. The fire raging in the left door made Near look especially bright, the light shining through the right door made Jacob look dark. She turned to see that a door had materialized, and without trying the handle she knew it was locked.

This dream's purpose was clear. She had to make a choice.

For the second time that month Bluebird awoke in a hospital bed, though this time she wasn't handcuffed or hooked up to an IV. She sat up; her head hurt slightly, just a dull throbbing. No one else was in the room. It occurred to her that she could run, but then she would be right back where she started, running from Jacob, and she knew he would find some other way to kill Near. And there really was no guarantee that he would actually let her go if she did the job. And now there was the letter to deal with, and she knew that it wasn't something she could just ignore.

The letter. She slipped out of the bed and began to pace. The letter. She had memorized the contents, and it repeated again and again in her head.

_Bethany,_

_The plan is coming along well on my end, and I know from the evening news that it is the same for you. Undoubtedly the detective L will soon be investigating. What troubles me most is that the Hawk for Hire is also working on the case. But I am close to finding her here in London, and when I see her, we won't have to worry about her ever again. In the meantime, stay vigilant. Soon we can continue our work in D.C._

_-Brother._

"-and when I see her," Bluebird muttered. That line had bugged her. Shouldn't have said something like, 'when I kill her'? Unless…

She froze, staring out the hospital window. How could she have been such a blind idiot? She knew Jacob was Bethany's brother. She had read Near's data on the Death Note. She had dismissed it as some crazy cult he had taken down, with Kira being its ring leader. But now it made sense.

Jacob had known her real name when he had stared her down in the alley. His eyes hadn't just shone with bloodlust; they had been _red_. "When I _see_ her." She swore angrily.

Jacob had a Death Note, and Shinigami eyes.

As she came to that revelation, Near walked in. "Would you like to explain why Mr. Bowers chased you across London only to nearly kill you, despite the fact that you killed his father?"

Bluebird sighed. "He has the Deathnote." She stated as she turned away from the window. "And the Shinigami eyes." She hadn't expected Near to be surprised. He was as emotionless as ever.

"Basing that conclusion only on the letter, there is only a 3% chance that statement is true."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. "But moving on. We need to get to D.C."

"We must finish the case."

Bluebird stormed up to him and stared him down. Near didn't even blink. "You read the letter," she growled. "Your precious case is part of something bigger. I don't care what you think, we're going to D.C."

Near stared at her. When she was just about ready to punch him in the face, he finally spoke. "Very well. We leave in an hour."

**Pfft. I hate how little I'm updating and how I'm still making this up as I go along. Oh well.**

**So yes, the Death Note had been brought into play. But this is a Deathnote fanfic! It had to come in sometime.**

**And thanks to ****night-and-autumn****, ****Hazelrink****, ****DiamondRainbows****, and ****Mangafreak666**** for more reviews!**

**DiamondRainbows****: Yeah, 'Sara' doesn't seem very… Bluebird-ish. Oh well. XD**

**Also, this takes place about 3 years or so after the Kira case ended, so they're both around the age of 16.**

**Mangafreak666: ****I'm glad you think this is a good Near/OC story. Thank you!**

**See you guys in another month. (ha-ha sorry).**


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